Building Inside the Lines

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The Arthouse at the Jones Center, a nonprofit art space, raised funds for eight years before collaborating with Structura to expand its facility and give it more of a gallery feel. Originally constructed around 1890, Arthouse’s home had previously been used as a movie theater and a department store. Structura wanted the design to be more open and dynamic, so it planned a renovation and addition of about 22,000 square feet—which it then completed in about eight months. “It was a really good team effort,” Morgan says.

He and his team worked hard to stay within their budget while incorporating substantial new design elements, including a second floor, a dramatic rooftop area with wood planking, and many additional windows to bring in natural light. When the project was completed, the space was more than double its original size.

“It was a structural challenge,” Morgan says, noting that there were old rock walls his team had to deal with—not to mention the fact that the entire building had been leaning askew to one side. The end product, though, is a contemporarily streamlined beauty that commands the attention of passersby.

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Using the framework and curriculum already in place for Williamson County, Texas, a group interested in expanding educational choice sought to open the Meridian School in an Austin, Texas, suburb. Facing a tight timeline of 10 weeks—the school set to open in August for the start of the school year—Structura crews worked nights and weekeends, conducting demolishing, gutting, etc. The firm built classrooms and a cafeteria, renovated an existing office building, and ultimately worked on about 55,000 square feet of the charter school, which serves students from kindergarten to eighth grade.

Karalei Nunn, founder of the Meridian School, says she was pleased with Structura’s work. “They did a very high-quality job that was on time,” she says. “I loved that they met their deadline and that the people I worked with were all very honest and straightforward. It was a very pleasant experience.”

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When Riverbend Church needed a new education building for students in grades six and up, Structura conceived a design including 17,500 square feet of new construction, 30,000 square feet of renovations, and a new three-acre landscaped plaza with a fountain. The firm added new lighting, carpeting, and paint to two other buildings, one housing a chapel and the other a fellowship hall.

It was a challenging project because the campus was in operation, holding activities throughout the year as Structura worked on renovations and construction. “It was a fast-paced project,” Morgan says.

“Structura was one of the most professional general contractors we’ve ever worked with,” minister of Riverbend Church Norm Schoenfeld says. “They were involved with us from day one on value-engineering the entire project. They were flexible enough to work with on change orders and yet disciplined enough to keep us informed of the running cost of [them]. So there were few surprises at the end. It was amazing to me that we could actually start and finish the project within nine months from the time we first broke ground—with a very short punch list to follow up with.” ABQ